Malaysian businessman ‘assassinated’ in Papua New Guinea

Acsess Road to Poreporena Freeway on left from Hanuabada Bypass and also to Underpass Tunnel near Police Head Quarters, across Highway is Kerema Settlement area in Konedobu, in Port Moresby, PNG. (Photo/Peter Tate)

Police in Papua New Guinea today vowed to track down the killers of a Malaysian businessman who they say was “assassinated”.

Acting deputy police commissioner Fred Yakasa said the man was shot dead while driving in the capital Port Moresby, where crime is rife, yesterday.

“We have reason to believe that this was an assassination due to the manner in which the shooting was carried out,” he said in a statement, reports AFP.

“I am concerned about this and I am sure many Papua New Guineans as well as our visitors and business partners are too.”

The victim identified as Wong Tee Tee by a Papua New Guinea daily Post-Courier Online, had lived and worked in the impoverished Pacific island country for over 20 years.

According to Post-Courier Wong was driving a grey Toyota Surf, traveling from the Hohola market towards Hohola tunnel, where he was first attack.

Wong sustained serious injury from the initial attack, but still managed to drive his vehicle out of a tunnel into the Poreporena freeway heading up Burns Peak, the daily reported.

Yakasa said he had reason to believe the killing was carried out by foreigners.

“I assume that there is some level of organised crime syndicate at play somewhere,” he said.

“We do not have the evidence to prove this at this point in time but I am confident we will in the near future.”